The Hydrogen
Stream: A new engine from China and IEA predictions for this decade - –
pv magazine International
Chinese carmaker GAC Group has unveiled an engine it claims improves
the mixing process of hydrogen and air. Elsewhere, the IEA has said $7
billion in new electrolyzers will be required globally by the end of
the decade, and a British consortium is planning to build green
hydrogen production facilities alongside 4 GW of solar, wind, and
battery projects it is developing in the United Kingdom.
Chinese auto company GAC Group has announced a “technology leap” and
entry “into the zero-carbon emission era,” as it ignited its first
independently developed hydrogen engine. “Using core hydrogen engine
technology as a foundation, GAC R&D centers optimized the technology
with a number of innovations,” the company wrote last week. “These
include the newly developed combustion chamber, which improves the
mixing process of hydrogen and air, and improvements to the hydrogen
supply system, which improves power density and reduces the risk of
hydrogen leakage.” GAC said its R&D staff would continue to “carry out
thermodynamic calibration and mechanical development of the hydrogen
engine, with the eventual aim of loading the entire … vehicle.” The
Guangdong-based company is also looking for collaborators for hydrogen
production, storage, and hydrogenation.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said investment over the
next decade will be critical in determining long-term hydrogen
objectives. “Every year until 2030, investments of $7 billion in
electrolyzers will be required (30 times recent record investments),
and $4 billion in FCEV [fuel-cell electric vehicle] deployment will be
needed (14 times record investments),” the IEA wrote in its Global
Hydrogen Review 2021, published last week. “To achieve net zero
emissions by 2050, global cumulative investments must increase to $1.2
trillion by 2030 and $10 trillion by 2050.” In the executive summary
of the report, the IEA said global electrolyzer capacity, which
doubled in the last five years to reach just over 300 MW by mid-2021,
needs to accelerate. “Around 350 projects currently under development
could bring global capacity up to 54 GW by 2030,” added the report.
“Another 40 projects, accounting for more than 35 GW of capacity, are
in early stages of development. If all those projects are realized,
global hydrogen supply from electrolysers could reach more than 8 Mt
by 2030. While significant, this is still well below the 80 Mt
required by that year in the pathway to net zero CO2 emissions by 2050
set out in the IEA Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector.” The IEA
wrote, Europe is leading electrolyzer capacity deployment, with 40% of
global installed volume, and is set to remain the largest market in
the near term, while Australia, Latin America, the Middle East, the
U.S., and China could catch up in the long term. On the other hand,
Canada and United States are the leaders in the carbon capture,
storage and use technology needed for blue, natural gas-fired hydrogen
production.
Swedish bearing and seal manufacturer SKF is teaming up with Luleå
University of Technology to develop fossil-free steel for bearings.
SKF will fund research on hydrogen use in industrial processes from
the university’s CH2ESS initiative. It will also take part in research
to speed up the development of fossil-free bearing steel. “Mechanical
components are very important to ensure … function and operation in
future hydrogen systems,” Victoria Van Camp, president of SKF
Technology said in a press release today. Research areas will include
hybrid ceramic bearings, and electric vehicles. The two partners will
also develop and commercialize fossil-free bearing steel production.
“SKF’s expertise in fluid machinery, material science, production
technology and IoT [internet-of-things] solutions will actively
contribute to the work,” added the press release.
London-based green H2 business Octopus Hydrogen, U.K.-focused, U.S.
private equity-backed solar developer Innova Renewables, and
Gloucestershire-headquartered renewables consultant Novus have formed
a strategic partnership to build green hydrogen production facilities
alongside their 4 GW of U.K. solar, wind, and battery projects.
Octopus Hydrogen, part of London-based asset management business
Octopus Energy Group, will design, build and operate hydrogen
production plants at several of Innova’s renewables sites, said the
companies, adding that electrolyzers will typically be between 2 and
20 MW in scale. “The green hydrogen production facilities will be
directly connected to on-site renewable energy [generation] which will
be purchased via long term power purchase agreements, producing
between 500 and 2,500 kg of hydrogen per day,” read an announcement
today.
In preparation for the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow next
month, the
British government has announced measures to support climate
action and energy transformation. Last week, it awarded funding to 15
projects to help U.K. airports handle new types of electric and
hydrogen aircraft. “In the future, we believe there will be a
hydrogen-electric engine in every aircraft as this is the only viable
way to deliver truly zero-emission aircraft and to comprehensively
tackle the industry’s growing climate impact,” said Val Miftakhov,
chief executive of the U.S.-based ZeroAvia company which is designing
such aircraft. “When we deliver our first hydrogen-electric
powertrains into service, in 2024, operators need to be able to fuel
their aircraft with low-carbon hydrogen, and today’s announcement is a
big step towards that.” U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson is expected
to announce at the Conservative Party conference that all of Britain’s
electricity will come from renewables by 2035.
The European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development(EBRD) and theMoroccan
Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies have
signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on renewables,
green hydrogen, and new technology. “The EBRD is fully committed to
supporting the development of green hydrogen value chains,” said Harry
Boyd-Carpenter, EBRD managing director for the green economy and
climate change, last week. “In combination with competitive renewable
electricity, green hydrogen is a key ingredient in accelerating the
decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors and has strong potential in
Morocco. We are very pleased to start our cooperation with [the
Moroccan Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies].”
Lifte H2,
a company focused on hydrogen supply chains, is expanding its presence
in Berlin and Boston while launching a ‘technology-differentiated
hydrogen infrastructure development service.' “In an industry where
hydrogen-specific product and project experience is hard to come by,
Lifte provides a unique combination of relationships, experience,
technology, and capabilities,” said CEO and co-founder Matthew Blieske
in a press release yesterday. The company expects to double the size
of its workforce by early next year, to meet demand.
